“I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Today, it’s possible to pay homage to Art Deco without it consuming all aspects of our identity and home décor. No longer relegated to the elite, Art Deco offers something for everyone.
It’s possible to love Art Deco and minimalism. It’s possible to give a nod to 1920s luxury and combine it with 21st Century luxury. It’s also possible to mix a bit of history, blending Art Deco interior design with a bit of 60s Retro or Modern Art stylings.
MINIMALISM: This black and white Art Deco print, available to buy online, gives a minimalist decor a splash of luxury.
MIX IT UP: Combine this gorgeous Art Deco print from Wall Art Prints with some retro stylings.
There’s something about Art Deco that we love, but today we tend to love it in moderation. When it’s everywhere it can feel heavy on our heart. When there’s a smattering of it, it can excite our mind.
CLASH: Combining this green print from our Art Deco collection with more modern stylings will excite your mind.
Art Deco, as a design style, epitomises the high glamour of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s across painting, interior design, architecture, furniture, ornaments and jewellery. In fact, the term ‘Art Deco’ comes from the name of an exhibition in Paris called Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It is here that artists of that era showcased their creations.
Between the two global wars, World War I and World War II, life was celebrated to the maximum with a focus on luxury, wealth and parties. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, reflected the mood and energy of this era in America and, at its crux, was Art Deco design.
Despite an economic depression leaving much of the country unemployed and disaffected, America’s elite took to Art Deco like a moth to a flame. In a society that was otherwise ugly and weak, it represented beauty and strength.
And escapism.
ESCAPE: 21st Century luxury never looked this good, with this interior design look and Art Deco piece giving more than a nod to the Great Gatsby high life.
Art Deco paid homage to the beauty of Art Nouveau, but interpreted it in a more modern way with geometric designs, angular stylings and the use of simplified motifs like zigzags and stripes.
According to Australia’s Art Deco & Modernism Society (ADMS) its ‘introduction occurred concurrently with massive changes in technology that saw the introduction of new materials and manufacturing techniques that allowed goods and items to become available to the masses’.
Chrysler Building, New York. (Attribution: “Chrysler Building 2005 4” by Misterweiss via Wikimedia Commons )
Today, we can still see original Art Deco architecture in the designs of the well-known Rockefeller Centre and Chrysler Building in New York.
In Australia we see historic Art Deco buildings remain with the likes of the Astor Theatre in Melbourne and the former Grace Building in Sydney, to name but two. The Palazzo Versace hotel on the Gold Coast, built in 2000, is a more recent celebration of all things Art Deco.
Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast. (Attribution: By Gscarborough via Wikimedia Commons)
For significantly less than one night’s stay at Palazzo Versace, our beautiful Art Deco wall art prints mean you can afford to enjoy a piece of this gorgeous design style everyday in your own home.
If The Great Gatsby taught us anything it taught us to appreciate everything in moderation, so welcome some luxury into your home today. Browse through our Art Deco collection to discover the beauty of a bygone era – beauty you can have at home to enjoy day in, day out.
GOLDEN LIFE: Bring a bit of Versace style luxury into your own home with this gorgeous Art Deco Damask wall art print.
